Inkpots & Feathers
by cliche catastrophe
Summary: This is where i'm going to deposit of all my short and mid-length drabbles. Pairings, genres and ratings may vary.
1. Winter Apologies

Pairing: Sam/Freddie.

Genre: Romance/Angst.

I sit on my front porch, shoulders-deep in thoughts of him. A glass bottle of root beer is resting on my lap, my finger circling the rim of its mouth. My mom's car isn't parked in the driveway and I'm the only one here other than my fading shadow; it's sunset and the sky is a mix of plums and cherries. It's silent except for the quiet wind rustling the leaves of the thorn bush that separate's different two-bedroom, one-bathroom town houses. I stare at the black cobble roads that line the outsides of the houses; Seattle never seemed so glum.

I rub the sleep out of my eyes with a closed fist and lean onto the palm of my hand, crossing my ankles on the grass in front of me. I lift the glass rim to my mouth and swallow, wondering what he's doing right now. It feels rotten to stare down at the spaces between my fingers, where his fit perfectly and not see them in there rightful place. I sit the glass bottle on the concrete beside me and stare as its shadow disappears. I sit there for hours it seems, watching the sky being enveloped by darkness and the stars appearing above my house.

I hear footsteps and suddenly my heart is racing but I don't move an inch, and I can see the crescent moon emerge from behind the tree across the street as a dark figure obscures the view of the neighborhood. I squint as it walks towards me and I gulp. I must have crossed his mind at some point over the last insomnia filled, lonesome week because he was here. I was sat freezing in a white t-shirt and pajama shorts and he was towering over me in dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with his brown coat and a warm winter scarf.

He bent down and picked up my root beer, sitting down in it's place and handing me the bottle. I took it and swigged the last inch of liquid and disposed of it on the grass. I turned to see him staring at me. "I'm sorry," he turned to face forward, pulling his knees into him and resting his chin atop of them. I sighed with relief and took his hand.


	2. Relationship Advice

Pairing: Spencer/Freddie.

Genre: Comedy/Friendship.

He left his apartment, timing it perfectly so he could be at the Shay's apartment just after Carly and Sam left for their sleepover at Wendy's. He could hear their conversation about Elephent Love disappear into the main elevator around the next hallway. Freddie's palms were sweating nervously and he could feel the embarrassment on his face of having nobody else to talk about this with. He stepped forward with my hand on the back of my neck, dropping it just as he knocked and then opened. Spencer was sat on a stool at the computer desk eating a bowl of chicken soup, and surfing iSpace.

He looked over his shoulder upon Freddie's entrance and Freddie shut the door behind him. "Hey bro," Spencer said with a mouthful of soup, smiling briefly before turning his attention back on the computer screen. "Sam's not here," he added and Freddie nodded, taking a seat next to him at the desk.

"I know. I really need to talk to you about something," He said anxiously.

"Sounds serious," Spencer replied with chicken chunks stuck between his teeth and swallowing another spoonful of soup. Freddie twisted his mouth to the side and nodded, putting both his elbows up and burying his face in the palms of his hands. He felt Spencer pat him on the back. "What's up, kiddo?" Spencer asked, almost nervous for Freddie himself.

"It's Sam." Spencer instantly realized that Freddie was coming to him for relationship advice which was a really bad decision and so to save Freddie from further embarrassment and a failed relationship with his girlfriend, Spencer picked up his bowl of soup, his dripping spoon in hand and got out of his chair and walked towards his bedroom door without a word. Freddie rolled his eyes and got up and pushed Spencer's door closed as he tried to open it. Spencer's shoulders dropped with a sigh and he walked guiltily back towards the desk.

They both took there seats again. "So, what seems to be the problem?" Spencer said mimicking a doctor, except eating soup simultaneously which doctor's usually didn't do on a regular basis. He pushed invisible glasses up his nose. "Are you having problems with Samantha?" He asked formally. Freddie glared at him. "Fine. What's up? But just as a pre-warning, I've had twenty-two failed relationships and I'm rubbish with advice."

Freddie decided on taking the blunt route. "Sam wants to have sex." Spencer's eyes widened and he let chewed up chicken chunks and thick soup dribble down his chin and drip onto the counter. He stuttered before finally looking for a form of escape with the similar frantic eyes of a meercat. Freddie gave him a light slap to his right cheek. Spencer wiped the soup off of his chin with the back blue sleeve of his 'ITCH ME' Penny Tee.

"But you're only…like…eleven years old!" Spencer exclaimed suddenly.

"Spencer, we're both seventeen," Freddie corrected him, forcing the heat of the blush away from his face. Freddie crossed his arms.

"You are?" Spencer asked, confused. Freddie nodded. "A-and this is Sam's idea?" Freddie nodded again. "And do you want to?" Freddie thought for a moment and then nodded. "Then what do you need me for, you know everything don't you? I'm sure your mum gave you that talk the day you turned thirteen."

"How did you know that?" Freddie said, defensively with furrowed brows.

"I didn't." Spencer laughed, slapping his knee. "I was just fishin'," he said, reeling in an invisible fishing line. "But I caught a sucker." Freddie grumbled angrily. "Aw, I'm sorry, Freddo," Spencer ruffled his hair and Freddie flattened it back out.

Silence. "I don't think that you and Sam are old enough to be thinking ab--"

"Spencer," Freddie interrupted him. "When did you lose it?"

Spencer thought back for a second. "When I was fift – That's not the point!" Freddie chuckled obnoxiously, looking at Spencer's computer screen which was now on an unfamiliar homepage which read 'Win a date with Britney Spears' Freddie decided not to even go there.

"You do whatever you want with Sam with my regards as long as I hear no details of it and you never ask me for any type of sex and/or relationship advice ever again. Deal?" Freddie shook Spencer's outstretched hand and jumped off his stool, walking out of the apartment. Spencer let out a sigh of relief and turned back to his computer to enter the contest.


	3. Strange Occurances

Pairing: Gibby/Carly. Slight Sam/Freddie.

Genre: Comedy/Friendship.

"I think I'm going insane," Carly blurted out as she sat between her two best friends whilst they all watched some comedian on the television, failing to make anybody laugh. Carly but her beloved Peppy Cola on the floor, which in a right state of mind she never would do.

"_Going_ insane?" Sam raised an eyebrow jokingly earning a stern look from Carly. Which elicited silence from Sam and a chuckle from Freddie. Carly rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the noise she could hear. Could nobody else hear that? Maybe she was going insane.

"No, but I'm serious. I can hear crying, can anybody else hear that?" She said, standing up and listening carefully. Yeah, she could definitely hear crying. It sounded male and she was freaked out. Maybe it was a ghost. Yeah, maybe there was a ghost in her apartment – I'm sure Spencer will know somebody to get rid of the ghost. Spencer oddly knows a variety of different people who can help with anything. Sock shortage. Socko. Cat stuck in your wall. Kado. Calender needed. June. Need a cheap holiday. Summer. Spencer knows everybody, and coincidentally mentions these people at the time they are needed.

There was probably someone out there with a name related to their job who could banish ghosts.

"Can I hear it? Is that meant to be a joke? Stupid Sam gave me her lergy." Oh. Carly forgot about Freddie's ear infection. He was only allowed over for another hour before his mum wanted him back for yet another ear drop session.

"Yeah, well _sorry_ for kissing my _boyfriend_."

"You could have told me you were ill, you know."

"You never asked."

"You never said!"

They were off again. Still fighting.

Carly silenced them and turned to Sam. Sam looked up at Carly as she looked back down at her expectantly. "What?" Sam asked before realising. "You know I don't listen to anything, Carls." Carly rolled her eyes and took her seat again, thinking about the crying and not the failing comedian.

Carly settled back into her couch and continued watching the televison. She heard a quiet sob. That tears it. She stood up and stormed out of the apartment, leaving Sam and Freddie exchanging questioning looks. Carly walked down the hall and turned the corner at the end to see somebody curled up at the end corner, crying.

She walked up to him until she could see his face. Gibby. "Man, I knew I could hear crying." Carly said, grateful that she wasn't going insane before realising that her words were quite inconsiderate towards the boy's feelings and her sudden presence also surprised him. "Oh, sorry Gibby. What's the matter?" Gibby told her to leave him alone but she took a seat next to him, leaning up against the wall.

"Ronnie j-just dumped me. She called me halfway across t-town and dumped me." Hiccup. "I've been trying to beg her to open the door." He managed to tell Carly. Carly was sympathetic. She'd been dumped before and it was not a nice feeling, she knew the the drill. Cry. Cry and eat junk food. Cry, eat junk food, and avoid people in general.

She put her arm on his shoulder. "Don't worry. It will get better after a…while." Gibby was at first looking hopeful but then let out another string of loud sobs, muffled by his hands. Carly panicked. "Sorry. Sorry. No, that wasn't the right thing to say."

"I-I heard Danielle Daniels likes you," she tried.

"You did?" Gibby hopped to his feet and hugged Carly. "Thanks." Gibby walked away, happy as ever.

Carly knitted her brows together and looked at Ronnie's apartment door before walking back to her own. "Would you mind explaining what just happened?" Sam asked and Freddie looked expectant.

"I honestly have no idea."


	4. Summer Loving

Pairing: Sam/Freddie

Genre: Romance

The sun bleeds through the emaciated clouds, warming my face all the way to the very tips of my toes. I sit with a look of ease on my face, feeling untroubled and generally pleased. "I love summer," I muttered, squinting my eyes up at the sky and crossing my legs on the green grass, pulling little daisies out of the ground and throwing them at his face. He grunt but I feel his arms around my waist and lean back into him, my head resting on his stomach.

"Me too," I hear him say as he runs his fingers through my hair. I shut my eyes and grin, feeling as thought I'd be perfectly content with him running his hands through my hair all day long. I take one of his hands in mine, locking my fingers loosely with his. "Sam," he said in a slightly higher voice, and I took this as nervousness and sat up a little, turning to the side so my legs were resting over his.

"Hm?" I watch his eyes dance around anxiously and he now has both my hands in his, abnormally cold for such a warm day. He has lots of strange things about him I never noticed; there's always one piece of hair at the front of his head he can never tame, or the birth mark shaped like a star on his back, or how adorable he looks when he bears that dimpled grin. I drag my eyes away from his lips and stare into his eyes, pulling myself back into what he's saying. "—and well, I love you. And I'm not just saying that for the heck of it, Sam, I really, really mean it."

He lets out a large breath of air, pink heat crawling up his neck.

As the seconds tick by, he looks more and more scared and my mouth is parted in comparative shock.

He disconnects one of our hands to card it nervously through his brunette hair and he looks pained, like he's going to chuck up his guts any second. He's watching me closely, waiting for any sign of movement. I close my mouth because I realize I must looked like a goldfish, and then I move closer to him, grab his hand and wrap it around my body with the other. I slide my arms around his neck, my elbows resting on his shoulder. I hear his hear beating fiercely against his ribcage, almost like the tick of a clock telling me I have to say it soon.

3. I press my forehead to his, and it's slightly clammy but it's Freddie. 2. I kiss him quickly and pull back to look in his eyes, which are twinkling like they always do. 1. I muster some courage and lean back, and I speak.

"I love you more," I say and there it is, his delectable dimpled grin and I can't help but a crack a smile too.

He shoulders slump, like a weight that was keeping him rigid had been taken away. "I didn't think you'd say it back," he whispers, his voice wavering. "I mean…it's me. Since when has any female besides my mother ever told me she loves me? I-I was just – I thought I was going to cry," he downcasts his eyes, embarrassed.

"Course I love you," I say. "Who else pays for my bacon?"


End file.
